The Girl Who Had It All
by j-c-b-tbh
Summary: Months later and suddenly, she was not known as the girl who lost her parents to an accident. She was not known as the girl whose brother was murdered. She was not known for the girl who had a whole inheritance above her precious little head. She was known as Clarissa Fairchild; the actress who had it all. The girl who had it all. (AU/Slightly OOC)
1. Chapter 1

**This might be slightly OOC, I'm sorry for that. I do not own any of these characters or the books. I am not Cassandra Clare. R&R? :)**

* * *

As a kid, she used to love fairytales. Her mother always read them to her before she would go to bed− and it was the only reason why she actually _liked_ going to bed, not like most kids. Her mother's voice was soft and soothing; it made her feel safe, even in the darkest of times. She missed her mother's comforting voice. Unlike her mother, her father constantly reminded Clary that her mother was filling her childhood with lies.

_Her father looked at Clary, his black orbs staring back at her green ones. For some odd reason, Clary suddenly felt a twinge of fear in a way she's never felt before. Not like how she was afraid of monsters underneath her bed or the dark. A different kind of fear._

_She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Daddy, I−" Her father frowned. _

_"What did I tell you to call me, Clarissa?" _

_Another gulp. "Sir." He nodded slightly, making Clary feel less agitated than before._

_"Mommy said we could watch The Little Mermaid after dinner, with John." She noticed the way his expression changed at the mention of her older brother. She knew he loved him more than her, although she'd never admit it to herself. He was more obedient, more attentive. Johnathan did whatever their father ordered them to do. His perfect little soldier._

_Clary continued nervously, "Do you want to come join us?"_

_Her father sighed heavily, as if this wasn't the first time she had caused him disappointment. "Clarissa, dear. I do not know why your mother insists on showing you these... idiotic programmes," he said, shutting his eyes. "I cannot imagine how she feeds you with these lies and lives with herself."_

_"Dad− Sir, they aren't lies!" she answered back weakly, immediately regretting it. _

_She felt her father− her own flesh and blood− raise his cold, hard hand against her cheek. _

_A slap._

_Clary gasped in pain. Her father looked at her, rage clear in his black lifeless eyes._

_"What did you say, Clarissa Morgenstern?" he hissed._

_Clary tried to fight back tears from rushing down her face. She shut her eyes and whispered, "Nothing, sir. You're right."_

_"And don't you ever forget it," he snarled._

After that incident, Clary stopped asking her mother to read bedtime stories. She never told her mother what had actually happened to her that day. Clary lied and told her mother that Johnathan accidently hit her face while playing Marco Polo.

Johnathan got punished that day. She remembers her brother's face as soon as Clary told her mother how she got her bruise in front of them. He looked betrayed.

Clary regret lying to her mother like that. Her mom didn't know the truth about the way her father acted around them. Clary didn't want to ruin their family's "reputation".

Her mother was an actress at the time. When Clary was twelve, her mother signed her up for acting school and thought that _someone_ had to bring her own talents into the family too. So, she obeyed. She went to acting school for a few years and enjoyed it, even thought she'd rather paint or draw.

To be honest, she didn't see her Mom around a lot. She was too busy with her movies and press conferences. She usually came home late at night; her green eyes smudged with makeup and her outfits too bright to be seen. Clary sometimes wished she could be like her mother. She was so beautiful.

Her father, on the other hand, was a stay-at-home father. She never knew much about her father and his childhood, but he told them countless of stories from how he used to be the best fighter in his family. They were an army family.

Her and her older brother were trained brutally from their father for years. He taught them how to spar, how to use blades, which types of blades to use and how there's place on a man's back where, if you sink a blade in, you can pierce his heart and sever his spine, _all at once_.

That was her thirteenth birthday present.

She remembered her thirteenth birthday very clearly.

_It was rainy, something that always happens in England. She hated rain._

_"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day, Little Clary wants to play−" She heard her brother laugh in disbelief._

_"'Little Clary wants to play'?" Clary turned around and made a face at her older brother. He was always trying to suck the fun out of things. _

_"But, you see, Little Clary, we don't have time for fun," Johnathan told her. _

_Clary noticed the striking ressemblance between their father and him: the black eyes, the pale white hair, the sinister smile across their faces when they wanted something. It was shockingly astounding._

_"Little Clary has to finish all of her assignments before Father gets home, or else she's going to be in big trouble!" Johnathan said, his voice imitating hers. _

_Clary narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, aren't you the perfect little soldier?" _

_Johnathan laughed, his eyes gleaming with arrogance. "And what are you?"_

_Clary grit her teeth. "Don't," she told him._

_"Oh, that's right," Johnathan's arrogant attitude was soon replace with a cold, malicious smile. "A dissapointment."_

_"'Oh, Daddy! Johnathan ruined my drawings! Daddy, Johnathan pushed me!' You're nothing but a failure. No wonder Father resents you."_

_"Shut up, Johnathan. What about Mom? Huh?" Johnathan's lips pulled themselves into a tight thin line. Johnathan and their mother had a... difficult relationship._

_Clary wanted to laugh at her brother's face. "Oh," she said innocently. "Too soon?"_

_"You little b−" Suddenly, Clary was pushed roughly against the wall with a sharp blade pressed her neck. Her brother's smile was sickening. He was enjoying this, she knew. _

_"If you ever say that again, little sister," he whispered harshly into her ear. "I will not hesitate to cut your throat out."_

_Clary choked a laugh. "Someone has Mommy issues."_

_The tip of the blade rested against her neck, but this time, harder. _

_"I won't be so forgiving next time, Little Clary," Johnathan warned. "Be glad it's your precious birthday today, sister."_

_He let go of her and smirked. "Weak," he spat out._

_Her brother left the house, to go outside, she supposed. He never told her where he went or what he did, just as long as she kept her mouth shut. She figured that her parents would find out sooner or later, so she didn't tell them anything. _

_By the time midnight came along, Clary was starting to get worried. Where were her parents? And her brother? Her parents usually came home before midnight and her brother never stayed out this late._

_Clary quickly dialed her mother's phone number and waited for her to pick up. She didn't. Clary could feel her heart beat frantically. Where the hell were they? With her shaking hand, she dialed her father's number but it was immediately sent to his voicemail. _

_Out of nowhere, she heard police sirens outside. She felt herself get dizzy and her heart beat even faster than before. She didn't want to believe what she thought happened. _

_She rushed outside and gasped in shock. Her parent's car was collided with another truck. There was blood. Too much blood. _

_Suddenly, the policemen and women surrounded her with questions and she didn't know what to do. No, she didn't know what happened. No, she didn't know that they were drunk. No, she didn't know where her brother was._

_She couldn't focus on any of their questions. She was looking at her mother and her father, whom were transported into the hospital gernies. _

_After a few months, she moved in with her best friend, Simon Lewis and his mother. The police found her brother's body inside the forest a few weeks after the incident. He was murdered._

Clary shut her green eyes and tried to forget. Forget everything that had happened. She decided to register herself into another acting school, knowing that it would make her mother proud.

Months later, and suddenly, she was not known as the girl who lost her parents to an accident. She was not known as the girl whose brother was murdered. She was not known for the girl who had a whole inheritance above her precious little head. She was known as Clarissa Fairchild; the actress who had it all.

_The girl who had it all._

She had the fame, the fortune and the perfect life. Simon, her personal assistant and best friend, stuck by her side and always told her when she crossed any boundaries. She was happy with Simon by her side. She was happy with her life.

At least, that's what she told herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I guess I had a lot of inspiration for the next chapter, lol. It's highly unusual for me though, but I guess you guys are all just lucky I was able to actually write something. Haha. Anyways, no, I do not own these characters, or MTV. I am not Cassandra Clare either. Slightly OOC/AU. R&R? Anything I need to improve? Please tell me! I don't mind! Thanks! :)**

* * *

Jace shivered underneath his quilt and shut his eyes even tighter, not wishing to wake up. He tossed and turned in his small bed − if you can even _call _it a bed − and opened his golden eyes, sneaking a few glances at his two siblings. They were asleep. He glanced at his alarm clock and sighed heavily. It was 9 AM.

He tried falling back to sleep but unfortunately, he couldn't. So, he decided to watch some TV to pass time. Jace tugged on a shirt and whatever pair of jeans he found laying around on the floor. He didn't care if it wasn't his anyways, his adoptive brother was his size, so it didn't really matter to him.

He silently walked out of their room and prayed that their guardians were asleep as well. He snuck a peek inside the living room and noticed nobody was there, so he carefully walked to the nearest sofa and plopped down. He searched lazily for the remote controller and clicked the 'Mute' button.

He decided to watch MTV, since that was the only channel with something interesting to watch. It was an interview. Jace adjusted the televison's settings so it had subtitles for him to read, since he muted the sound.

The interview had just begun. Obviously, they chose an attractive girl with an inaproppriate amount of cleavage showing through her small t-shirt which revealed her bellybutton. Jace rolled his eyes.

The interviewer basically explained that they had "someone special" drop by their studio today. The camera revealed a very young-looking girl.

The first thing that popped into Jace's mind was her height. She looked very small - he figured she was around his age, maybe 16 or 17 years old. The next thing he noticed was her eyes. They reminded him of chocolate, dark chocolate (Can you blame him for being hungry?). Her short dark brown hair (which _still_ reminded him of chocolate, to be honest) arrived up to her shoulders. Jace thought she was very pretty.

Although he couldn't hear her voice, he assumed her voice had to be as equally pretty. The interviewer basically started to introduce the young actress. Her name was Clarissa Fairchild. She was 17 years old and her new movie was in the works or something like that.

_Wait, Clarissa Fairchild? _That name rung a bell. He remembered his adoptive sister, Isabelle, mention her a _bunch_ of times. He might have even watched one of her movies, but he was too tired to actually think.

He thought that this interview was going to be another one of those lame ones where they ask dumb questions like, _"Are you dating that guy who you met at Taco Bell the other day?"_ but just as he was about to turn it off, he read the subtitles.

_"So, Clarissa..." _The interview looked at her curiously. Clarissa smiled widely, waiting for her question. _"How did you feel after the incident involving your parents?"_

Jace noticed her smile faltered a bit. _Her parents? Incident?_

_"Oh, um," Clarissa responded. "It was tragic, really. I didn't know what to do. Just like in my movie, my character feels_−_"_

_"And what about your brother?"_ the interviewr asked. Jace felt bad for her. Why the hell was she bothering Clarissa?

Clarissa stared at the woman in front of her with a blank look. _"What about my brother?" _

_"Well, didn't he get m−?" _Clarissa's facial expression suddenly changed. She looked furious. Jace noticed her eyes were no longer glistening with happiness, but seething with rage and... sadness.

_"Did someone set you up? Why are you asking me these questions?" _

The woman smiled innocently. _"What are you talking about?"_

An informercial interrupted the interview, making Jace slightly upset. What happened to her brother? And her parents? Why did she look so mad? Why did he even care in the first place?

He closed the television and thought about what the interviewer was about to say before Clarissa broke her off.

_Well, didn't he get murdered?_

* * *

Clarissa glared at the interview._ "How dare you!" _Clary yelled out angrily. _"Do you have no respect? How dare you, you little b_−"

Simon appeared beside her, covering her mouth. He looked frazzled, his brown eyes widening in shock. He glanced at the smug-looking interviewer and muttered, "This isn't right. She wasn't supposed to say that, she wasn't supposed to say−" Clary bit his hand and Simon yelped out in pain. What the hell?

Clary looked enraged. She looked murderous. Simon suddenly felt a bit scared. "You little _bitch!" _Clary screamed out. "Who gave you the right to say that, you f−!"

Simon grabbed Clary by her arm and whispered soothing words into her ear. Clary whirled around to look at Simon. She was trying not to cry, he noticed. Simon knew her family was a touchy subject around her, so he never asked her about it. She told him little about them.

Still, Simon knew better than to pry into Clary's personal business. She had enough of that. Simon shot daggers at the interviewer and brought Clary back into the vehicle.

As they drove back to their hotel, Simon snuck a glance at Clary to check if she was okay. She didn't look okay. She looked scared. After the years he'd spent with her, he notice that Clary barely showed her emotions when it came to serious situations. But this time, she looked almost vulnerable. Like a little child.

In a few minutes, they both rushed to their hotel room and they both sat down and stayed silent for a while until she calmed down.

"Clary, I'm sorry," Simon whispered out. He really was. She didn't deserve this. She deserved to be happy, and for the years that she has been with him, he knew that she was never truly happy.

Clary took her contact lenses off to reveal her stunning pair of emerald green eyes. He remembered that she told him she wanted to forget the pain, so she hid everything. The frizzy red hair changed into a straight dark brown hair, her stunning green eyes were hidden with dull brown contacts. She looked completely different.

Clary smiled weakly at him. "Si," she assured him. "I'm fine, it's okay. I just... I thought no one knew. I hid everything so well."

It was true. She did. Since she was home-schooled by her father, nobdoy suspected her mother had two children. Clary told him that her mother used to tell people that they were adopted, which made no sense to Simon.

As soon as she stayed with the Lewis', she demanded to change her last name immediately. So, they did.

From Clarissa Adele Morgenstern became Clarissa Fairchild.

Simon looked at Clary sadly. "Clary, we've been best friends for 5 years now. I know you're not ready to tell me everything, but you do know you can tell me anything, right?"

Clary turned her head to avoid seeing Simon's reaction. "I know, Simon. But once I tell you, you might look at me differently. I'm not ready for that."

Simon sighed. "It can't be that bad."

Another moment of silence ensued. Simon closed his tired eyes and searched for Clary's hand. He gripped her hand tightly and gave it a squeeze. Clary returned the squeeze and held his hand.

"His name was Johnathan," she said. Simon opened his brown eyes to reveal a sad-looking Clary.

"Was he−?" Clary stared at him, expressionless.

"Yes," she answered back with no emotion. "He was my brother."

"My brother, Johnathan, was only 2 years old than me. He was arrogant, tough and complicated. He was very competitive, especially when it came to me."

Simon imagined a red-headed guy version of Clary and shuddered inwardly.

"He looked nothing like me," Clary told him. "He looked like the splitting image of our father. Pale skin, white hair like snow and black eyes."

"Our father stayed at home with us, he's the one who taught us how to fight." _Fight?_ Simon raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, fight," Clary repeated. "His family was in the army and he wanted us to be skilled like him; like soldiers."

"Johnathan was his perfect little soldier," Clary said. Simon noticed a hint of disgust in her voice. "Our Father treated Johnathan like a toy, but he seemed too oblivious to notice."

"Our Father was anything but merciful. He used to punish us for our foolish mistakes and for our humanity."

Simon's father had passed away a few years ago. He imagined how hard it must be for someone to deal with a father like that. If anything, his own father was the complete opposite.

"Clary..." Clary looked at Simon, her eyes full of sadness. "What do you mean by 'punish'?"

"Simon, I..." Silence. A deep breath. "He used to... abuse us."

"Abuse?!" Simon exclaimed. "Clary, why didn't you tell anyone?"

Clary laughed bitterly. "Our father told us that soldiers are strong. They don't show their emotions. Emotions are for the weak."

Simon found that hard to believe. "Emotions aren't for the weak, if anything, emotions are made to show our humanity."

"But the thing is, my father had no humanity, Simon."

* * *

Jace immediately rushed to the nearest computer he could find. He didn't know why he had the sudden urge to find out what that stupid interview actually meant. He wanted to figure out what made Clarissa so infuriated.

He Googled Clarissa Fairchild and hoped to have any results on the incident that the interviewer mentioned, but he couldn't find anything on her. Nothing at all.

Jace frowned. He didn't understand. How did she figure it out? He searched the Internet for over two hours and still couldn't find a single thing related to an incident or to Clarissa.

He decided to give up. There's no use. He figured she'd eventually spill her guts anyway, just like all the celebrities do. They get drunk, they do drugs and then they just reveal the big secret.

As soon as he shut the laptop, he saw Isabelle come into the living room with a confused expression on her face. "Why are you up at 11?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I just watched some TV."

"Find anything interesting?" Isabelle asked as she rummaged through the cabinets to find something to eat.

"Yeah," Jace admitted. "I did."

Isabelle stopped rummaging and gave him a suspicious look. "What was it?"

"Do you know a certain celebrity with the name of Clarissa Fairchild?"

Jace noticed Isabelle's eyes suddenly spark with interest. "Brown hair, brown eyes, short?"

"Yeah, she's the one."

Isabelle fixed herself a bowl of cereal and walked towards Jace. She sat down beside him and asked curiously, "What'd you find?"

"Was she in an accident? What's with her parents? And her brother?"

Isabelle's eyes widened, as if she'd never heard about that before. He figured she knew about that. "Um, what?"

"What do you mean 'Um, what?'"

Isabelle shot an annoyed look at him. "I mean, um, what the hell Jace? Where'd you hear about that? She doesn't have a brother. She's an only child to Martha and Ian Fairchild."

"According to MTV, she had a brother and her parents were in some kind of incident," he pointed out.

"Um, _according to the whole world_, her parents are alive and she's an only child." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "God, Jace, you've been tossing lies since you were a month old. Don't be so gullible. Whatever you heard was probably a lie."

"It isn't!" he told her, his arms crossed stubbornly. "I'll show you, I saw it like around 9. It's on their site, I swear."

Isabelle took the laptop from him and went on MTV's site. There was no video of Clarissa Fairchild on their website. Jace, being the stubborn person he is, grabbed the laptop furiously from his sister and looked at every single inch of that stupid ass website. He was too busy searching that he didn't notice Isabelle was no longer sitting beside him.

He sighed._ Was that a prank? What the hell was that? _

_What is Clarissa Fairchild hiding?_


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not** **own these characters and I am not Cassandra Clare. Reviews would be nice. Anything I need to improve? R&R? :)**

* * *

Clary told Simon everything she was hiding from him. From her abusing father− to her mother abandoning her− to her brother constantly taunting her. She told him about the countless number of therapists that she saw when she was a kid.

Her mother took her to an endless number of therapists. She told Clary she "felt a sudden 'change' in her attiude". After a while, Clary skipped her therapeutic meetings and starting to sketch drawings. Since her mother was busy, she never knew Clary skipped her sessions.

Simon had a difficult time digesting all of that information. Clary could tell by his puzzled expression. He looked... devastated. She saw the sadness flashing in his light brown eyes. She didn't want him to feel like this.

Simon met her gaze and gave her a small smile. "It's okay," he assured her. "I'm just worried about you, Clary."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, removing his glasses. He looked much younger without them. "I mean, with that interviewer. Where do you think she got that information from?"

"What makes you think she got that information?" Clary asked, confusion clear in her voice.

"Come on Clary," Simon voiced. "It's nearly impossible to actually find anything about you on the Internet."

"And how would you know that?"

She saw a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. He looked flustered. "I... I might have Googled you once or twice."

Clary laughed at him. He feigned an offended look. "Well, to be fair, you didn't necessarily _tell_ me anything. So, I figured I had to do some research on my own!"

"And what exactly did you find, Si?" she asked curiously, her green eyes looking at him.

"That you were an only child, that you were the daughter of Martha and Ian Fairchild, etcetera," Simon listed, as if he had memorized the given information.

Clary bit her lip anxiously. "That's all?"

Simon nodded, making Clary feel slightly relieved. She had a strange feeling that there was more.

Simon put his black-rimmed glasses back on and had a pensive look on his face. She wondered what he was thinking about. He frowned, making her feel panicked. "Clary, we need to confront that interviewer," he said.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why do _we_ need to do that?"

"Clary, what if she decides to expose something else?" he pointed out.

"We need to confront her before she does something more than publicly reveal your identity," he added.

"What do you mean by _'we'_?" Clary questioned, clearly noticing that Simon obviously ignored her previous question.

Simon gave her a look. "I am _not _letting you go alone, Clary."

She gave a small sigh and shook her head in disagreement. "Fine, you can come along too."

Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw him pump his fist in air out of _excitement_. She shook her head with a tiny smile.

"Clary?" Simon's voice worried, clearly noticing her silence. She snapped out of her reverie and gave him a serious look.

"Simon, I need to you to promise me to keep this a secret."

Simon looked into her green eyes. It was a shame that she hid them underneath those brown contacts. She looked so beautiful.

"I promise." Suddenly, he felt Clary slam into him. He felt her arms wrapped tightly around his slender waist, as if he was the only thing keeping her from falling.

Simon felt her sob silently into his shirt, but he knew that she was shedding tears of happiness.

For the first time in her life, Clary didn't hold back.

* * *

Jace Herondale has _never_ ever pined over a girl before. He even has his two siblings to prove it. Although he has had a few girlfriends in his past, he has rarely been the "clingy" type. He never felt the need to be passionate and erotic towards them. For some reason, he always felt something was missing in his relationships. Most of the time, his ex- girlfriends would bicker with him constantly; whining about the fact that he never held hand with them properly, or that he never complimented them for their shirt that they had recently bought, but the number one complaint he always received from them was:

_"I feel like you don't love me the way I love you."_

He never understood why girls always felt the need to overreact or overexaggerate on every _single_ thing. They always asked him if he had ever felt anything for them, or if he had eyes for another girl. Ironically enough, he was cheated on twice.

But Jace Herondale never, _ever_− in his 18 years of living− pined over a _girl. _He was basically living proof.

As Jace walked into school− his two siblings protectively by his side− he felt every girl's (and even some boys) gaze turned to him. He could sense their eyes burning with lust and desire. Isabelle even described him as the "Golden Boy".

He didn't mind the staring. He actually _enjoyed_ it. He watched as girls twirled their strands of hair around their fingers, as they bit their lips seductively, as they eyed with him awe. If anything, it boasted his confidence or as Alec would call it "his enormous ego".

One girl− was her name Jessica or Marissa?− walked past him slowly and surprisingly caught his attention (which, in his case, was pretty rare. His siblings often had a pretty hard time engaging him in an actual conversation. They thought he had ADHD at some point). For once, he looked into her eyes and not her chest. They reminded him of Clarissa's eyes, just not as pretty. The girl (whose name was still unknown to him) winked at him and said, "See you in drama, Jace."

Oh, _right_. Drama. He had exactly 5 minutes to get to his class before his teacher would scold him to death. He glanced at his side and realized that his siblings were also gone. How long was he standing there for?

He ran as quickly as he could and arrived right on time. Despite the fact that most kids would have been panting at the amount of speed they've ran, Jace wasn't. Isabelle always encouraged him to try out for the track and field team, but he preferred wrestling. Running was too easy. He wanted to try a sport that challenged him, so he joined the wrestling team.

_Every boy in the room was glancing at him, asking themselves: Why is Pretty Boy over here trying out for the team? Won't he be scared to damage his face?_

_As he walked up to his opponent, Jace smirked. He knew he could beat this guy in 0.2 seconds. But, being the nice guy he is, let him have a few moments of victory. His opponent swung a punch one after the other, which gave Jace a sudden burst of adrenaline. Jace suddenly held the poor guy's hand whilst he was about to throw another punch and twisted his arm. Jace turned around completely while twisting his arm over his opponent's head and grinned at the coach, who looked completely baffled._

_His opponent gasped out in pain and hissed at him, "Herondale, let me go or I'll personally kick your a−!" The coach blew his wincingly loud whistle and stared at Jace with wide eyes as he let go of the other boy._

_"Welcome to the team, Herondale," the coach stammered. _

"Herondale!" Jace snapped out of his reverie and grinned charmingly at his drama teacher, who did not looked amused. His teacher stared at him, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Could you tell the class what I had just said moments ago?"

Jace's smile turned into a full-blown grin. He cleared his throat and mimicked her voice, "_Herondale!"_

If looks could kill, Jace would have been dead by now. His teacher's jaw tightened. "Do you want another detention, Herondale?" she barked out.

He decided to stay silent. He knew if he got another one, he'd be suspended from wrestling for two whole freaking weeks. He smiled apologetically at the teacher and let her continue whatever the hell she was saying.

"Today, class," she announced, her voice loud and clear. "We will be watching a short clip about an actress. She is acknowledged one of the best actresses in our time. Some of you might even know her." Many of the students started whispering in hushed tones, but they were silenced by their teacher's menacing glare. Their teacher paced around the stage and uttered the two words that sent chills down Jace's spine.

"Clarissa Fairchild."

* * *

Clary was determined to find that interviewer. She didn't care how long it took; she wanted to speak a piece of her mind. Simon and Clary walked into MTV's studio and demanded to speak to the boss in charge.

They were sent directly to a private room. One of the workers told them to wait patiently for the boss to arrive. Simon and Clary sat beside each other on the long black lounge sofa and waited for the boss.

Clary's patience was thin, she didn't like waiting for people. She started tapping against the armrest, making Simon feel slightly annoyed. He tosse her an irritated glance and checked his watch for the billionth time. Where the hell was this guy?

Finally, after 10 minutes of waiting, a tall handsome man showed up. He grinned at them brightly and sat down on his chair in front of them. He strummed his fingers against his desk and asked, "What seems to be the problem, Ms. Fairchild and Mr...?"

"Lewis," Simon answered, mentally rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yes, right." The man sipped his cup of coffee distractedly and looked over at Clarissa, who seemed to hide her impatience very well. "What is wrong, dear?"

"Well," Clary started off, "one of your interviewers were harrassing me with personal questions in an interview a while ago."

The man looked at her with a blank expression.

"And I'd like to know how we could contact her."

The man gave another one of his grins, but it faltered as soon as he saw Simon's threatening glares. "Well, I," he stammered. "I'll see what I can do."

Simon grit his teeth. This guy _really_ was starting to get on his nerves. "No. You _will not _'see what you can do'. You _will _find her right this instant and ask her that Simon Lewis requests to see her, do you _understand?"_

Clary's eyes widened in shock as she heard Simon speak those words. He didn't sound like himself. For some odd reason, he sounded like her father. Except without the frightening disposition and the authoritive tone.

The man looked as equally shocked as Clary, but unlike her, he displayed his emotions. He suddenly rose up from his seat and nodded vigorously. "Yes sir," the man sputtered out. "I'll... I'll go find her."

As soon as the man left, Simon rubbed his temples tiredly. Clary noticed his fatigue and pat his shoulder. "Wow, Simon, I never knew you had it in you," she confessed. "You're good at being scary, you know that?"

Simon laughed weakly. "Well, that's what he's get when he makes me wait for 30 minutes."

The door opened and the two friend's heads whirled around to see the interviewer. The man, who Simon scared off, muttered a few words into her ear and left her alone with them. The interviewer stepped inside the room and shut the door.

She sat down on the chair in front of them and fiddled with one of the pens that were on the desk. She glanced up to look at them and smiled.

"Clarissa Morgenstern, is it?" The interviewer looked straight into her eyes and frowned. "What a shame to hide those stunning pair of green eyes."

Clary glared at her furiously. "Who the hell are you?"

"Since you asked so nicely," the other girl said sarcastically. "I'll tell you."

She looked at Simon, as if noticing him for the first time. "Simon Lewis?" she asked, her dark brown eyes scanning him up and down. "You're the one whose requested to me to see you?"

Simon stayed silent. The girl in front of him rolled her eyes and sighed. "I never expected this meeting to be so... boring."

"We aren't here to entertain you," Clary spat out, her eyes flashing with rage. The other girl laughed mockingly.

_"Your name," _Clary hissed.

"Aline," the girl replied. "Aline Penhallow."

* * *

Jace stared at the giant screen, squinting his golden eyes at the young actress. He couldn't quite make out her face since he was stuck in back. His teacher wanted to keep an eye on him. So, he obeyed and sat beside the teacher who kept on glancing at him from time to time.

_"So, Clarissa... How did you feel after the incident involving your parents?"_

His eyes widened in surprise. This was the interview. The interview that he saw the other day, this was _it_. He knew he wasn't hallucinating. A smug smile tugged on his lips. He can't wait to tell Isabelle what he saw today.

"Herondale, what are you smiling at?" the teacher snapped. Jace wanted to hit her with a brick. She was the most annoying teacher he has ever had.

"Nothing, miss," he muttered under his breath. He focused on the interview and realized that Clarissa looked different from how he saw her the last time. She looked sad.

_"Oh, um, It was tragic, really. I didn't know what to do. Just like in my movie, my character feels_−_" _Jace frowned. She was using her movie as a distraction; to avoid the question.

_"And what about your brother?"_

_"What about my brother?" _He heard a hint of rage in her voice. What did he do to Clarissa? Did Clarissa do something to her brother?

_"Well, didn't he get m−?" _

_"Did someone set you up? Why are you asking me these questions?" _

_"What are you talking about?"_

The clip ended, leaving the class speechless (for once). His teacher got up from her seat and walked up to the front of the class. Jace noticed a slight discomfort in her posture, which was highly unusual. She cleared her throat and said, "Sad, isn't it?"

The whole class agreed to her comment. It _was_ sad.

His teacher continued, "I want each of you to present a time of your life where you've all felt hopeless. Sad, mad, anything that made you feel vulnerable. For instance, if none of you have noticed, you could hear the sadness and rage in her tone."

"I want you to perform it in front of me. It is worth half of your grade. Partner up with a few students, a maximum of four people in your group. You must pick one story and perform it."

"No fooling around," she ordered sternly, glancing at Jace. He rolled his eyes inwardly. The bell rang noisily, making Jace jump. He rushed to his next class with only one thought in mind.

_How did she get that video?_

* * *

**How do you guys think Jace's teacher got a hold of that video? How does Aline Penhallow know Clary? Only way to find out is to stick around for another chapter. Review? Seriously, anything I need to improve? Thanks. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry if this chapter is shitty, lol. I don't know. School started. I don't have much time to write. I'm sorry, again. I don't even know where I'm going with this story, to be honest. Review? Is it shitty? Should I stop? Is it even worth reading? Oh, and I don't own any of these characters, which sucks. I am not Cassie Clare. Wow. Okay.**_  
_

**I realized I misspelled Jonathan's name since the first chapter, wow. So sorry for that. Ha. **

* * *

_Aline Penhallow?_

Clary stared dumbfoundedly at the girl in front of her. She racked her brain out, trying to figure out if she's ever seen her before. She didn't know an Aline. Clary squinted her eyes at her and sighed furiously. "Who the hell are you?" she sputtered out bluntly, her gaze not breaking from the girl whose identity remained unknown to her.

Aline's fake smile turned into a grim line. "I _told_ you," she said irritatedly, for about the _millionth_ time. "I'm Aline Penhallow."

Clary refrained herself from lashing out on her. "I know, but−" Aline sighed tiredly, her elbows propped up on the boss's desk.

Simon felt annoyed as well. For the past hour, they've done nothing but sit in slience. The only thing they knew about this girl was her name and honestly, it hasn't been going anywhere since then.

"Look," Simon suddenly snapped, his eyes glaring at Aline's dark brown ones. "If you don't tell us who you are and how you know about Clary, we'll−" Aline snorted in response at Simon's lack of a threat.

"You'll what?" she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "You'll kill me?"

Simon stayed silent, not entirely sure how to answer back. Aline rolled her eyes. "I thought so," she quipped, her gaze lingering on Simon's for a second before returning to an exasperated Clary.

"So, Clarissa," Aline drawled. "Do you remember me yet?"

Clary started back at Aline with a blank expression.

Aline gasped mockingly, her hands flying to her mouth. "You _don't?_"

"You don't remember your own brother's _girlfriend?_"

Clary's expression hardened. Her jaw tightened at the mention of her late brother. "You're lying," Clary hissed in between her teeth. "My brother never had a−" Again, another eye roll from her brother's so-called 'girlfriend'.

"Why would I lie to you, dear?" Aline asked innocently, her head slightly cocked to the side.

"Quit playing games and tell us the truth," Simon seethed angrily, his patience running thin by the minute.

"I am not lying to you."

Simon groaned angrily. "Listen, we don't buy your little story, so why don't you−"

Clary stopped him with a look that meant: 'Let me do the talking'. She shook her head and whispered, "Why do I have a feeling that I believe you?"

"Because you know that I'm telling the truth, Clarissa."

* * *

After school, everyone was buzzing about Clarissa's scandalous interview. To be honest, it was quite annoying. Jace never felt more irritated in his entire life. So what? It was just an interview. Nothing special.

_Nothing special? Who was he trying to convince? Himself?_

"JACE!" Isabelle screeched into his right ear, making him wince in pain. He shot her a murderous glare and hissed out, "Are you done with that?"

Isabelle shrugged. "Sometimes I really do wonder if you have ADHD."

Jace rolled his eyes; not _again_. "I don't have ADH−" Alec walked into their bedroom and cut him off with, "Yes, you do."

Jace flopped on his bed and sighed tiredly.

_I can't stop thinking about her._

"About who?" Isabelle and Alec asked in unison, giving him curious looks.

_Oh shit, did I say that out loud?_

"Yeah, you did," they both answered back.

"Shut up," Jace growled. _How the hell do they do that anyways__?_

They both laid down beside him for a while until Isabelle broke the silence with a stifled laugh. The two brothers looked at her questioningly before she said, "I can't believe you're crushing on someone, Jace."

"I'm not, Izzy. You don't get it, I..." His voice faltered. Did they know about the video too? They must've known, practically the whole world knows.

He continued with a steady tone. "I saw the video in drama, Izzy."

"We saw it too," they both replied at the same time.

"Can you guys stop?" Jace asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"I mean, the video. It must mean something, right? How the hell did she even _get _that video?" Jace wondered aloud. The two siblings shared a look.

Alec cleared his throat, seeming uncomfortable. "Jace, did it ever occur to you that you can ask her where she got it, right?" Jace rolled his eyes.

"_Of course_, thank you Alexander," Jace's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I had no _idea_. I'll just ask the teacher that absolutely hates my guts where the hell she got that video from."

Isabelle glared at Jace. "You don't need to answer everything with a sarcastic reply, you know?"

"Why don't we ask her?" Alec suggested. "I mean, she doesn't hate us."

"Thanks, man," Jace muttered under his breath.

Isabelle snickered. "He's right about that one, Jace."

"Whatever," Jace huffed.

Jace sat up on his bed and clapped his hands together, startling both of the siblings. "Great," Jace said cheerfully. "So, tomorrow, go into her office and ask. I'll be waiting outside so that she won't suspect anything from you guys. That okay?"

"The things we do for you, brother," Isabelle mumbled.

* * *

_Clary was busy sketching in her notebook, unaware of the sudden footsteps coming into her room. She felt someone chuckle lightly behind her and slammed the book hastily, immediately feeling insecure and embarrassed about her drawings. _

_She turned around from her chair and glared at Jonathan, who seemed amused by her sudden reaction. "What do you want now?" Clary asked exasperatedly, clearly bothered by his presence._

_Jonathan laughed, something that Clary rarely heard from him. "What makes you think I want something, little sister?"_

_"Cut the crap, Jon. Just tell me." _

_He rolled his ebony eyes at her and sighed loudly. "You make this seem so boring."_

_"Whatever, what do you want now? Do you want me to tell Da_−_Father that you've gone to the library nearby again?" Jonathan's jaw tightened._

_"No," he ordered harshly, causing Clary to flinch. He sounded exactly like their father. "Just don't say anything."_

_"But Jon_−" _He cut her off with a menacing look and repeated, "No."_

_"You will not say anything, do you understand me, Clarissa?" _

_She nodded reluctantly and noticed Jonathan's cold hard stare on her. She suppressed a sigh and asked, "Anything else, brother?" _

_He continued to stare at her and before she could ask him again, he started to walk away from her room. Feeling relieved, she opened her notebook until she heard Jonathan clear his throat. She closed her book and turned around with a questioning gaze._

_"Aren't you supposed to be, you know, leaving?" she pointed out. He stood in front of her door for a few seconds before he shook his head._

_"Your..." His voice faltered; as if he was hesitating. Clary frowned, he was never this... nervous. She couldn't figure out what was going on with him. She waited for his response, but grew impatient quickly. _

_She swirled back around to her drawings and picked up her pencil until she heard him speak._

_"Your drawings are beautiful." _

_Her hand froze mid-air; her pencil falling onto the floor._

_She turned around to look at her brother but as soon as she did, he shut the door behind him._

Aline noticed Clary was tearing up. She watched as Clary blew her nose noisily into the tissue, not trying to cringe in disgust. She knew Clary was trying hard not to burst into tears. Aline wanted to cry with her.

Aline knew that she was making Clary suffer, of course she did. Did she want to? Not at all.

_He_ was watching them; she knew he was. _He_ was watching Aline. He knew her every move, he knew where she lived. He would know if she tried to do anything to warn them.

She wanted to warn them; she wanted to. She had to _tell_ them, it was too painful to watch Clarissa and her friend hide in ignorance.

But _he_ threatened her. He threatened to kill her only family left; her closest cousin. She had to keep on doing this. She had to do _this_. She had to protect him.

He was the only person she had left.

"Clary," she breathed out quickly. Clary stared at her, her teary green orbs into her brown ones.

"I... I need you tell you..." _Stop it, Aline._

No, she couldn't. He would kill her cousin and then he would kill her.

She couldn't do this anymore.

"He's..." She choked up; her mind telling her to stop. "He's−"

She saw more tears leaking from Clary's eyes and willed herself to stop. She couldn't do this anymore. _She had to warn them_.

"He's n−" Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump in surprise. Aline held her phone shakily and opened it, noticing one message was awaiting for her.

She opened the message. She let out a gasp of utter terror and sensed her hands trembling even more.

_I killed him, and now I'll kill you. _

"Clary, h-he's..." Aline hurriedly got up from her seat and shook her head violently.

She started sobbing uncontrollably, making the two other guests genuinely terrified. "_Clary_," she gasped, unable to hold her tears back. "He's after you," she sobbed, her vision blurred with hot tears. "_He's after you_."

"Who is after me, Aline?" Clary asked quietly.

Aline's lips quivered. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her, like he killed Sebastian.

She had to leave. She had to get away from here, before he finds her. She bolted up from her seat and looked into Clary's green orbs.

"You need to get out of here, Clary. You aren't safe. _No one is_."

* * *

Jace sat outside of his teacher's office, waiting impatiently for his siblings to get over with the meeting. He checked his watch occasionally− more like every 5 seconds− and sighed loudly, silently wishing that his teacher didn't hate him.

That was it, he had enough of this crap. He sauntered towards the door and burst into the room to find the principal and his siblings, staring at him with annoyance. Mostly his siblings, not his principal. At this rate, he wasn't even sure any more. Everyone was getting irritated by him now.

Last time he checked, they were supposed to be in a meeting with his drama teacher; not the damn principal. _Why do they always mess up my plans?_

Jace looked at Isabelle and Alec quizzically and carefully asked, "Where's, um, you know, the dr−" His principal cut him off and cleared his throat. He gestured for Jace to sit down along with his siblings and sighed heavily, making Jace arch an eyebrow in his direction.

"Listen, Mr. Herondale," his principal started off hesitantly.

There was complete silence for at least an eternity. Jace tapped his fingers impatiently against the arm rest and tried to hide his annoyance.

"Sir?" Alec asked, looking really _nervous. _Jace seemed tense. What is going on?

"Sir," Jace repeated, restraining himself from htting his head on the wooden desk in front of him.

Isabelle shot him a dark look and hissed, "Shut up."

"What?" Jace asked exasperatedly tiredly.

"Well," his principal burst out loud, interuppting their little argument. He looked at each of them carefully, as if he weren't sure if he was supposed to be telling them anything.

He rested his gaze onto Alec. "I am saddened to report that..." He sighed, his hand running through his hair.

Another sigh. "It seems that Ms. Stark was found, um, d−"

"Dead," Alec finished off weakly, finally able to let it out.

Jace's eyes widened in shock. "Dead?" he asked, not quite believing them.

Isabelle nodded, seeming as frightened as Jace. "Dead," she whispered out quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, that is quite an assumption, Mr−"

His principal shook his head. "No, Mr. Herondale," he told him. "She is."

He continued, his voice wavering slightly, "She was found dead in her apartment last night."

Jace wanted to ask so many questions. Who did this? Why? Did his teacher do anything to provoke a murderer?

The older man spoke again, "I wanted to announce it publicly, during assembly but I guess since your siblings asked for her..." He stopped, shutting his eyes for a moment before looking at the three of them.

His principal shifted into his seat and said, "The police will come investigate soon. I do not want any of you to cause suspicion."

They all nodded obediently. "We will," Alec promised.

As soon as they were heading out of the office, Jace spotted a letter on the floor. Jace noticed the top of the envelope was torn off rather roughly and figured it was for his teacher. He glanced at the principal and grabbed it before the old man could figure out it was gone.

Back home, Jace carefully looked at the ripped envelope in his hands. There was an address scribbled onto the paper, which was his teacher's. Jace eyed the envelope attentively and noticed a small piece of paper folded inside. He took it out of the envelope, unfolded the note and read:

_I gave you what you wanted, but you didn't do what I asked. I expected more from you, dear friend. I guess we'll have to settle this my way now._

_- S_

* * *

Aline ran quickly, her pulse frantically beating. She couldn't stop. She willed herself to move forward, to not look back. She ran to wherever she could, praying that he didn't find her.

For the first time in her life, she prayed. She prayed that he wouldn't kill her. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing that this was just a nightmare.

She opened her eyes and tensed, suddenly feeling his presence. She gulped. "You found me," she told him fearlessly. "Now what?"

She heard him chuckle and shut her eyes even tighter. "Now what?" he repeated, his tone playful. She felt his cool hands− once comforting− lace into hers. Just like the old days.

He let go of her hands and forcefully turned her around to face him. She sensed his breath linger into hers and longed for his affection that he once had for her. She opened her eyes and stared into his ebony eyes, searching for love, for desire, for emotion. For _anything_.

"Aline," he breathed out huskily. She couldn't tell the difference anymore. Was he faking their infatuation this whole time? Did he truly love her?

"Aline," he repeated, his gaze not breaking from hers. She noticed a smile tug onto his red lips she once kissed. He snaked his arms around her and buried his face onto her neck, nuzzling her.

Aline closed her eyes and asked, "Why?"

She knew this was the end. She was going to die.

He tore himself off of her neck and stared at her, making her feel sick to her stomach. "I love you," he whispered.

_I loved you. Don't you know that?_

She felt a knife press against her spine. He was going to kill her.

Suddenly, she felt his lips against hers. It was soft.

He pulled away from her.

_No._

She couldn't breathe.

She gaped at him, her eyes wide with fear.

_Why._

She was dying.

_I loved you, Jonathan._

* * *

**Wow, I bet you expected that. Haha. I suck. Sorry I'm so pessimistic, but hey. So...? Should I just stop this story? Seriously. Oh, who do you think S is? **


	5. Author's Note (sigh)

**I AM _SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO_ IMMENSLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING MY STORY GUYS, EVEN MY OTHER ONE (Mundie Week)**

**SO, I bet you're all wondering: WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?**

**Well, (_haha_), I've been busy.**

**Busy with school, exams, whatever…**

**The best part: my computer is broken. Long story short, my brother spilled juice all over the keyboard, they've sent it to get it fixed and I'm 99.999% sure it's broken but I don't know yet, lol.**

**I'll try to update really soon! I'll try! :(**

**I'm so sorry for all of you who have been waiting so patiently! I know how you all feel! **


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